WOW! what kind of snake is THAT?????

It sure doesn't look like any MaNature taught us about. He's rather handsome.

*does best Elton John impression*

"It's the cirrrrrccllllee, the cirrcclllllle of liiiiiiife!!!"

Seriously, that's a cool snake :) I'm curious, too.

That snake is freakin' HUGE! The head looks like some kind of Garter snake, but I'm not sure either as to what kind of snake it is.

It must be snake weather. I saw 3 yesterday, including a cool blue worm-snake.

The handsome fella above reminds me of a Hognosed Snake?

Good mouser, in any case. Not harmful to people.

Lisa

Okay, I'm not 100% sure from the photo, with the head so distorted and all, but I THINK that's a dusky pygmy rattler. Maureen, did it have a row of rusty colored blotches down the center of its spine, between the dark spots? And do I not see a rattle on its tail?

I'm off to find a good picture for comparison, but that would be my first guess. Hognose, my second. The difference? One definitely venomous, one not. Important to be able to tell, so I'll be back later. In the meantime, maybe Wayne will stop by with a real expert opinion.

BTW, the snake looks to be about 2 feet long to me, which would be about right for either of those.

Marcia

Here is a photo of a dusky pygmy rattler, for comparison, but I haven't found a really good one of an eastern hognose yet. The color is somewhat variable on the rattler and quite a bit variable on the hognose, so I want to get the best examples I can of each.

Both the rattler and the hognose are short, heavy bodied snakes with coloration that can look a lot like this. If I could only look DOWN on your snake from the top, I think I could tell for sure, but my best guess is still the dusky pygmy rattler. Any more photos, Maureen?

Marcia

That looks like him, Marcia.

Here's a picture of the tail.

Here are some photos of eastern hognose snakes. The coloration IS variable, but I have found none that look quite like the pattern on most dusky pygmy rattlers. This is a common coloration. Notice how odd the head is shaped with the nose turned up. That is designed to help them burrow around a bit when hunting toads, their number one food item. Maureen's snake is obviously enjoying a mouse.

Here is another photo of a patterned eastern hognose, with its head flattened to look menacing. This is why many people in Florida think they have seen small cobras, hissing and striking at them. It's all bluff. The hognose is harmless, even though it looks quite menacing in this photo. Again, it really doesn't look much like Maureen's photo.

And here is a black phase hognose, head flattened to look dangerous, just so you can see how variable the coloration can be.

Due to the fact that the snake in Maureen's photos was eating a mouse, had coloration that looked much more like a rattler than a hognose, had markings on its head that showed up fairly well, even though the head is distorted, and just in general "feels" like a pygmy rattler to me, that's what I'm going with.

Wayne, if you are out there and think I've got it wrong, PLEASE let me know. Again, I have no trouble recognizing pygmies in "person" but sometimes it is more difficult when looking at a photo from an odd angle. I certainly want to know if I've misread Maureen's pictures!

And Maureen, thanks for sharing a GREAT series of shots! So fascinating, isn't it?

Marcia

Jumpim Jelly Beans, that is one interesting snake for sure. I thought some kind of hognose at first too Marcia, but I don't have near the expertise as you!.. It definitely IS snake season. My Black snakes are hanging all about my patio right now. Yesterday, I actually had a delightful conversation with a medium sized female as she was sunning herself on some pavers at the side garden hose bib. I sat down and tried not to scare her and just chatted. OK DON'T CALL THE MEN IN WHITE COATS YET!!! I think all critters can respond to our senses of comfort, fear etc. I just sat on a bucket where I was preparing my Brom Brothel bed and talked to the snake. She was docile, lifted her head a few times and even let me touch her. Then I moved further down the bed and she just relaxed in the sun. HOW COOL IS THAT?? Be kind to your welcomed critters.

Maureen, you can clearly see the rattle in THIS photo...at least three buttons on the tip, so that clinches it! (Just after I finished looking up hognosed snakes and posting about them!) This is definitely a dusky pygmy rattlesnake, definitely venomous and probably responsible for more venomous snakebites in our area than any other snake. They have been called irritable, but I think they are just determined not to let anyone step on them. Because of their small size, they don't usually cause fatalities in healthy people, but they DO cause very painful bites that can cause permanent disfiguration to fingers, toes, etc. Observe this snake from a distance, and you should be fine.

GREAT pics, Maureen!! Thanks for sharing them!

Marcia

Cool story, Cindee. And if you've seen Maureen's last picture, you can clearly see the rattles on her snake. I never did my post on the dusky pygmy rattler, and I should have! They are VERY common in our area of central Florida, and so small that they are often overlooked until it's too late to avoid an encounter. It is number 4 of the 4 venomous snakes in central Florida, the other three being the coral snake, the cottonmouth moccasin, and the eastern diamondback rattlesnake.

Glad you got to chat with your black racer. I do things like that, too.

Marcia

Wow...good job, Marcia!! You sure do know your snakes!

Great photos too!

I do better when I can actually see the snake from all sides, Saint, but sometimes a photo is clear enough to be certain. When I saw Maureen's first 3 pics, I immediately thought "pygmy rattlensnake," but I often second guess myself in an earnest desire to be certain. I wanted to be SURE it wasn't a hognose, and after looking closely at various photos, I was 99.9% sure it was the rattler. As soon as Maureen posted the photo of the TAIL, I could plainly see it was. I mean...it has RATTLES. That pretty much does it! ;o)

But it did give me a chance to post some interesting photos of hognose snakes in various colorations and poses. Hope it helps others recognize them more easily so they don't go whacking them about with a stout stick. And hope they will remember to give the pygmy rattler a wide berth. Don't want anyone to get nailed by one.

Marcia

Cool pictures Maureen! The snake is beautiful but I'm glad he's not in my yard. I have seen the pygmys before but never seen a hognose. They do look menacing when they flatten their heads!

~Betsy

Thanks Marcia, *now* I see the rattles. At first I thought it was a discolored tail from being broken off previously.

Although Pygmy Rattlers are common where I live, I've never actually seen one. But the neighbor's Great Dane, and 2 of my Mastiffs were bitten by one (or more)years ago and needed ER treatment. They all recovered fine.

Hognosed snakes I've seen, and enjoyed the "ferocious Cobra" act. They sure can hiss!

I better be more careful wacking back the overgrowth on the Palmettos, and wear boots instead of Crocs. I suspect Palmettos are a favorite hiding place for the Pygmys.

Thanks for giving us the correct ID!

Lisa

Lisa, you are right about the palmettos. Pygmy rattlers love them and are often found among them. As are diamondbacks, of course. I'm guessing they enjoy pretty much the same type of habitat, but I need to look that up to see for sure how much they overlap in their haunts. But I think it's a safe bet that heavier shoes would be a good idea when cleaning up palmettos. And keeping a sharp lookout so you can enjoy viewing any critters you come across without getting nailed! Nature is just SO interesting, and Maureen always provides us with such wonderful photos!

BTW, I found a small diamondback in my backyard once, and my son found a pygmy in his yard, threatening his cats. He actually swept it into a garbage can, put a lid over it, and took it to a pet store. I was so proud of him, but I don't necessarily recommend that the average person try to catch a venomous snake. That is usually when people get bitten. I still say, give it plenty of space, if possible, and it will normally try to get away from YOU. If you live where snakes are common, it is a good idea to a) be able to recognize which ones can be dangerous and b) have a telephone number handy of someone who can come and catch the snake. There are quite a few people throughout the state who can do this, but it takes some sleuthing to find them, so some work AHEAD of the event is helpful.

Marcia

Wonderful photos!

Cathy :)

Great photos and very interesting thread!
I'm not usually intimidated by snakes and I'm usually glad to see them in the garden, but I've never come across a rattler here. Am I just not paying enough attention?
I don't like being surprised by snakes - or wasps for that matter - so if I'm going to be working around shrubs or weedy patches I often spray it with the hose before I start. If anything comes flying or slithering out, I give it time to settle down before i reach in!

I think that is a good plan, Kate. It's also a good plan to make a bit of noise or disturb the bushes a bit with a hiking stick (I ALWAYS use one) when in an area where you might cross paths with a rattlesnake. I usually stick strictly to the marked trails and watch closely, but if I'm forced to cut through an area of high grass or too many palmettos, I'm going to give the snake every opportunity to move away from me by letting him know I'm coming. And I never step over a log without a quick look to be sure nothing is lying curled up on the other side. I really don't want to get bitten!

Kate, I don't think you would be very likely to see a rattlesnake in your yard, given what I remember about it. But it's certainly possible. They have to cross from Point A to Point B at times, and if we have built homes in their path, then it's possible they will have no other choice but to cut through yards. But I would guess your yard more likely to harbor the usual garden suspects like garter snakes or black racers. And given the lack of lots of leaf litter and uncleared areas surrounding your immediate yard, even they would probably not be there in large numbers.

All of the above is just so much semi-educated guesswork, though. Snakes don't read the books and they do whatever they need to do in order to survive today. So...eyes open all the time is a good rule of thumb. Who knows...maybe you'll be lucky enough to spot a rough green snake in your honeysuckle vine one day. (They are good climbers). That would be a real treat for you.

I don't like surprises, either. Once I got up in the middle of the night for a little bathroom jaunt, and I stepped right on top of a snake in the dark! OMG! I almost had the Big One! It turned out to be a garter snake, but the shock of feeling it squirm under my BARE foot not being able to see it nearly did me in! We had a "cat house" outside with a tree in it for the cats to visit when they wanted to, and the snake had entered THAT and been caught, carried in through the catdoor, and left by my bed for a present. Still alive. Needless to say, screening was attached to the wire enclosure to prevent any more snakes from crawling into the cat house in the future.

Snakes, yes! Being surprised by one, NO!

Marcia

The area that I live in is heavily wooded with lots of palmettos - a great place for rattlesnakes, apparently. I've seen several of them and a few (like the one in the pictures above) have wandered into my backyard. I'm not thrilled by them, but I do think they're interesting. My biggest worry is my little dogs, but I really can't keep them in the house all of the time so I make sure I'm outside when they are.

Marcia - one question - Do great horned owls prey on snakes? There's a pair of them living in the lot next door and I wondered whether this little pygmy rattler was in danger of becoming a victim to one of them as he was resting after his meal.

Here's a not so good picture of one of the owls. They're very hard to spot and definitely not thrilled at the prospect of being photographed.

Maureen

I haven't found any info specifically mentioning snakes, Maureen, but great horned owls ARE "extreme predators" and from what I've read, will eat a huge variety of "vertebrate" prey. That would include snakes, so I'm guessing they eat them, too. All snakes are extremely vulnerable to one type of predator or another right after they eat. They can't move fast and therefore, are more easily caught. That's one reason venomous snakes hate to waste their venom on defending themselves. In the case of rattlesnakes, the venom they inject into a mouse starts to digest the animal on the inside even before the snake has swallowed it, thus cutting down on the time the snake is vulnerable to being caught itself.

Great horned owls are magnificent! Congrats on having a pair to observe right next door to your own yard! Again, we gardeners have such great opportunities to observe nature in all her infinite variety!

Marcia

I have to share a bizarre coincidence.
I looked at the original picture of this guy in this post yesterday, shortly after it was posted. Had no idea as to the identity of the snake.
Today in class (I teach), one of my students comes to me with the project he is working on (animal classification) and shows me a profile of a ... *drumroll* ... dusky pygmy rattler!!!

Blew my mind, because I instantly connected it with the snake in this thread. Crazy stuff :) and cool reptile :)

Cool, Musicman! We are all connected! It ought to be an good subject for a project. Pit vipers are so interesting. Hope he does well!

Marcia

Fantastic pictures! How neat to see the rodent control patrol in action.

Pygmy Rattlesnakes are such gorgeous snakes! Looks like a big meal for the little cutie.

Congrats on the awesome photos!